A COMPARISON OF MEASURED AND CALCULATED ORGAN DOSES FROM CT EXAMINATIONS

Organ doses from a set of frequent CT examinations have been estimated from measurements in a physical anthropomorphic phantom (Remab system ) by using thermoluminescence dosemeters. For the same examination tec hniques, organ dose coefficients (taken from the literature) obtained by Monte Carlo techniques and using mathematical phantoms. The results arrived at by the two methods are compared, trying to explain the mos t significant differences and their influence on the estimated values of effective dose. The experimental and calculated outcomes from such simulations are also compared to the mean dosimetric results on patien ts from a 1991 regional survey of CT practice in the area of Madrid. S ome comments about the complementary use of information coming from bo th methods are made.